Eastern

Principal Solar said it will build a $154 million solar farm that will generate about 72.9 megawatts of electricity in Cumberland and Bladen counties. The Dallas-based company announced plans last month for a $173 million solar project near Hope Mills, about 10 miles from the new site, which it says will be the largest solar facility east of the Rocky Mountains.

State environmental officials gave Cary preliminary approval to remove an additional 9 million gallons a day from the Cape Fear River to accommodate water demand. Opponents in Fayetteville worry the request will affect water quality and availability downstream and will set a precedent for other growing Triangle communities.

Southeastern Health in Lumberton will team up with Campbell University to develop an emergency-medicine residency program for the university's Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine, which focuses on training doctors for rural and underserved communities.

An Illinois-based packaging company will invest $24 million in its Kinston plant and will add 59 jobs. Pactiv makes cartons and other packaging products for companies including McDonald's, Wal-Mart and Kroger. The company employs more than 1,000 at six locations in North Carolina.

Legislators from Brunswick and New Hanover counties introduced bills in the state House and Senate Thursday that would designate $66 for the state's film-incentive grant program. Gov. Pat McCrory's proposed budget only allocates $10 million for the grants. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said last month the program would need $60 million per year to keep the level of business the industry had in 2014.

Former Cape Fear Community College President Ted Spring rescinded his resignation on Wednesday, demanding to be reinstated. In a letter addressed to the school's board of trustees, Spring's attorney says the board did not follow proper procedure when it told Spring in January that if he did not resign, it would return to open session and fire him.

Wilmington-based nCino will offer a certification course in Salesforce, the cloud-based platform on which its Bank Operating System is based, in an effort to draw from local talent as it looks to fill 40 to 75 new jobs in 2015. The software company announced last week it has raised $29 million in financing that will allow it to expand in the U.S. and internationally.

Cumberland County officials will meet next week with representatives from Dominion Resources and Piedmont Natural Gas to discuss altering the route of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. County staff members are concerned the pipeline will hinder development at the 485-acre Cedar Creek industrial park, which hasn't had a single tenant since it opened 10 years ago.

East Carolina University and Pitt Community College will join forces to build a training center for bio-manufacturing. The Golden LEAF Foundation will provide more than $1 million in grant money for the project.

Wilmington City Council will consider a proposal under which the city and New Hanover County would each spend $300,000 toward an extension Raleigh Street that would provide additional road access for Vertex Rail. The N.C. Department of Transportation would contribute $900,000 to the project. Vertex Rail plans to hire 1,300 people at a rail-car manufacturing site in Wilmington.

The city of Fayetteville could partner with Time Warner Cable to provide free Wi-Fi Internet service for much of the downtown area. Under the proposal, Time Warner would allow its subscribers free access in the designated area while nonsubscribers would get one hour of free Internet access per day.

The ABC TV series "Secrets and Lies," which was shot in Wilmington in 2014, premiered Sunday evening. The drama, which stars Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis, filmed at EUE/Screen Gems Studios and in the Porters Neck area.

Work is underway on a 6,000-square-foot clubhouse at the Beaufort development previously known as North River Club. Raleigh-based DeWitt Carolinas bought the troubled golf course and adjacent homesites – the project is zoned for more than 1,500 lots – in 2014. The new clubhouse is expected to open in late May.

The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday in favor of municipal broadband providers, a move that will allow the city of Wilson to expand its Greenlight Internet service beyond the city limits. The ruling overrides state laws that had restricted growth of the municipal networks.Related: Tillis moves to overturn FCC ruling on local broadband

The Federal Communications Commission may decide today on the City of Wilson's petition for the federal agency to override state laws that limit municipal broadband networks. Wilson built its own Greenlight fiber network in 2009 and wants to extend the network beyond the city limits and into neighboring counties.

New Hanover County district attorney Ben David has asked the State Bureau of Investigation to broaden its investigation of Cape Fear Community College amid new allegations against former president Ted Spring, who resigned abruptly in January. A member of the board of trustees alleges Spring asked an employee to write a report for him in exchange for consideration for a promotion.

Vidant Health approved a $320 million bond proposal that would fund construction of a $194 million cancer center and other projects. The Greenville-based health care system plans to break ground on the cancer center March 20.

Wilmington-based software company nCino Inc. completed a $29 million round of financing led by New York-based private-equity firm Insight Venture Partners. Spun out of small-business lender LIve Oak Bank in 2012, nCino plans to use the funds to expand in the United States, enter international markets, accelerate product development and add new employees.

ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard wants the state legislature to increase funding for the Brody School of Medicine by $8 million this year and by $30 million each year afterward. Ballard says the school needs the additional funding to keep training doctors for rural North Carolina and to keep operating clinics that serve eastern N.C. residents who can't afford to pay for healthcare.